Salt Is a Technique, Not an Ingredient

When you salt matters as much as how much. A short guide to seasoning in layers.

The most common note we give new cooks is not "use more salt" but "salt earlier." Salt added at the end sits on the surface and reads as sharp. Salt added along the way dissolves into the dish and reads as flavor.

Season your pasta water, your braising liquid and your vegetables as they cook, tasting as you go. Each layer builds on the last, and by the end you need very little at the table.

Keep a small dish of coarse salt by the stove so you reach for it by feel, with your fingers, rather than shaking blindly from a box. Seasoning becomes something you do continuously, not a single anxious decision.